This invention relates to a method of protecting a splice in multi-wire electrical cables, in particular communications cables, from ingress of water into the splice.
As disclosed in, for example, Shimirak U.S. Pat. No. 4,466,843, which is incorporated by reference herein, various methods have been proposed for protecting a splice from ingress of water into the splice. Typically, these methods may comprise filling a reservoir surrounding the splice with a curable liquid sealant. In the Shimirak patent, there is provided the further step of compressing the reservoir while the liquid sealant is in the liquid state and maintaining it under compression for a time sufficient to permit cure of the liquid sealant to its hardened state.
As further disclosed in the Shimirak patent, it is desirable to compress the reservoir until a predetermined level of pressure is reached, generally on the order of about 3 to 12 pounds per square inch. More recently, however, it has been found that this predetermined level of pressure should be on the order of about 8 to 25 pounds per square inch. It would, of course, be desirable to know when this predetermined level of pressure had been reached. One method to ascertain this predetermined level of pressure is to insert a transducer within the reservoir. The pressure within the reservoir may be simply determined by monitoring the transducer. This method is satisfactory except that transducers are expensive and various electronics are needed to electrically monitor the transducer.
The need has thus arisen for a low cost, relatively simple way to measure the pressure within the reservoir.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a method of protecting a splice which includes a low cost, relatively simple means for measuring the pressure within the reservoir.
This and other objects of the invention will become more apparent after referring to the following description considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.